The vacuum ice blade was unstoppable as it came crashing down from the edge of Hyōrinmaru and struck Jiraiya.
But Jiraiya's reaction was incredibly fast.
The instant the blade fell, the white hair atop his head began to grow rapidly and harden, wrapping around his entire body.
Yoru's Hyōrinmaru struck that white hair, producing a crisp metallic clang!
"Ninjutsu: Needle Jizo!"
"Ninjutsu: Hair Needle Thousand!"
After stopping Hyōrinmaru's attack, the hair, hard as steel, shot out like crossbow bolts.
Yoru's pupils shrank. His figure vanished in an instant, and the hair, like a Senbon barrage, pierced straight through the Forehead Protector that marked him as Kirigakure.
"Even when you can't move, you can still attack and defend at the same time? As expected of the legendary hero Jiraiya, 'Dragon Swimming to the Sea'..."
Yoru reappeared more than ten meters away. He stared solemnly at Jiraiya, who had already broken free of the Six Rods Light Prison.
Just as he'd expected, his current power was somewhat lacking when it came to single-target bursts. Against the Gundams in their first and second stages, he could rely on crowd control to keep them in check. But against a top-tier specialist in ninjutsu and taijutsu like Jiraiya, it was hard to keep up.
(Don't say I'm a Jiraiya fanboy. The Pervy Sage's official stats are ridiculously high: ninjutsu 10, taijutsu 9, genjutsu 6, intelligence 9, strength 9, speed 9, stamina 10, hand seals 9—for a total of 71 points. His genjutsu is trash, but Jiraiya is unusually good at dispelling it. He's a legendary shinobi with absolutely no weaknesses, a true hexagram battle god.)
"What a bizarre technique."
Jiraiya stared at Yoru, who held Hyōrinmaru, his expression grave. But his attention was drawn more to the battle raging around them.
With Konoha's top fighters all tied up, the Konoha Ninja in Tsunan Town were being swiftly overwhelmed by Kirigakure.
By the second, large numbers of Konoha shinobi were dying. The thick stench of blood had even stained the mist hanging in the air crimson.
At this rate, they wouldn't hold out until reinforcements arrived.
"All Konoha shinobi, listen up! Fall back in groups of three!"
Jiraiya issued his order decisively, but would Kirigakure really let their prey escape?
"Keep those Konoha shinobi here! Don't let a single one get away!"
"Suiton! Great Dam Whoosh!"
Yagura's icy voice rang out. He formed hand seals, releasing all the chakra in his body. A terrifying Suiton surged toward the Konoha forces like a towering tidal wave.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke stepped forward and clapped his hands together. The ground beneath him trembled.
A massive earthen wall, like a city rampart, rose up before the rushing torrent.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart!"
But before the Konoha forces could breathe a sigh of relief, Yoru leaped into the air, appearing atop the Super Bursting Water Shockwave.
He plunged Hyōrinmaru into the torrent.
"The cold won't make you suffer."
"Hyōrinmaru!"
A piercing chill burst from Hyōrinmaru, freezing the towering wave in an instant. The resulting wall of ice surged toward the Konoha forces with unstoppable force.
If the Bursting Water Shockwave had been meant to cut off Konoha's retreat, then this Freezing Torrent was meant to crush the Konoha shinobi completely!
"This level of Hyoton?!"
"How is that possible?!"
The Kirigakure shinobi stared dumbfounded at the terrifying ice wave, especially the members of the Yuki Clan, who could hardly believe their eyes.
"This..."
Yuki Hyōji stood there in a daze. He seemed to understand why Yuki Akira had treated Yoru that way.
It wasn't because Yoru was the ANBU Vice Director. It was because...
He wielded a terrifying Hyoton as devastating as a natural disaster!
"BOOM!!!"
The surging torrent of ice smashed through the earthen rampart in an instant.
Yoru held Hyōrinmaru horizontally before bringing it down. Layer upon layer of ice walls rose from the ground, towering like mountains as they sealed off Tsunan Town completely!
The Kirigakure shinobi had already turned the area into a lake. In these conditions, Hyōrinmaru's power would increase without limit. This was the might of Hyōrinmaru, the strongest Zanpakuto of the ice-and-snow type!
"Vacuum Multi-Layer Ice Wall!"
"Ice Dragon's Tail Whirl: Empty Sky!"
Several ice dragons roared into being and crashed down upon the Konoha shinobi. Everything in their path froze solid—including dozens of Konoha shinobi.
[ Ding! You have successfully killed a Jonin. Reward: 1,000 Points.]
[ Ding! You have successfully killed a Jonin. Reward: 1,000 Points.]
[ Ding! You have successfully killed a Chunin. Reward: 200 Points.]
[...]
The system's notifications rang without pause.
Suddenly,
snowflakes began drifting down from the sky.
The sky, which had been clear, grew dark and gloomy. Snowflakes and ice crystals fell.
Yoru raised Hyōrinmaru high. An endless chill burst from the blade, and the falling flakes of snow and ice crystals spread and froze everything they touched. In an instant, the world before him became a frozen wasteland!
Heavenly Phenomenon Descends!
Countless figures were frozen in place, their lives snuffed out.
Not just people, but the terrain, the remnants of released ninjutsu, even the migratory birds flying overhead—all were frozen.
The layers of ice walls completely enclosed Tsunan Town, turning what had once been a Konoha encampment into a frozen tomb!
"So this is Lord Yoru's power!"
"As expected of Lord Yoru! Such overwhelming strength, such terrifying might!"
"Yoru... You can already do this much..."
Countless Kirigakure shinobi gazed at Yuki Yoru, who stood atop an ice dragon with Hyōrinmaru in hand. Their eyes shone with admiration, shock, and disbelief...
Even Yagura was momentarily stunned.
"So this is your true power, Yuki Yoru..."
"The power of Hyoton—this is what true Hyoton looks like!"
At the rear of the battlefield, Yuki Akira stared at the frozen landscape, trembling all over in her snow-white kimono.
"Yuki Yoru... Yuki Yoru!"
Her neck and cheeks flushed rose-red. A brilliant light blazed in her eyes, and she went completely red in the face...
"BOOM!!!"
But just as Kirigakure thought victory was at hand,
suddenly,
a gigantic figure dropped from the sky, smashing through the ice wall by force. The deafening crash shattered the silence.
A huge, bright-red toad wielding an enormous samurai sword destroyed the towering wall of ice. Jiraiya's low voice rang out from atop the toad.
"Gamabunta, break the ice wall. Fugaku, Shinnosuke, lead all the survivors in retreat."
"Crunch..."
He bit into his finger, then smeared the blood from its tip across the corners of his eyes.
An indescribable power gathered between his pressed-together hands.
"I'll cover the retreat!"
Before you continue